Jul-31-2021

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Salvador Dalí Museum

1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg, FL 33701

A jewel in the crown of St. Pete’s vibrant arts and culture scene, The Dalí Museum houses a mind-bending collection of art by the legendary Salvador Dalí in an equally awe-inspiring structure on the city’s downtown waterfront.

https://goo.gl/maps/UxrdmTQQ7SXbVjFh9

Fort DeSoto

Located on Mullet Key at the entrance to Tampa Bay, Fort DeSoto originated in 1898 as part of the military coast defense system developed during the Spanish-American War. The site of Battery Laidley and Battery Bigelow, this area became a bombing range for MacDill Army Air Base, Tampa, as well as other training sites during World War II. Military personnel stationed on the island operated the radio control tower and performed other range-related functions.

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The Don CeSar

3400 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, FL 33706

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. – The Don CeSar, popularly known as the “Pink Palace,” is a historical landmark and well-known tourist attraction in St. Pete Beach that has around for nearly a century. Its eye-catching design hasn’t gone unnoticed.

The magnificent, flamingo-pink Don CeSar Beach Resort with its Moorish bell towers and turrets, has dominated the St. Petersburg skyline since 1928. Its history includes stints as a convalescent center and VA headquarters after World War II, but its “bones,” including Carrara-marble floors and oak beamed ceilings, have remained untouched over the years.

The majestic Pink Palace has welcomed presidents, including Bill Clinton, George Bush, Jimmy Carter and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Movie stars Robert DeNiro, Harrison Ford and Jack Nicholson have stayed there. So have Cher, Coretta Scott King, Elton John, Billy Joel, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Britney Spears and Babe Ruth. It has served as the backdrop for numerous films and productions.

https://goo.gl/maps/ToDHkh3GUL5XZ8r88

John’s Pass Village & Boardwalk

12901 Gulf Blvd, Madeira Beach, FL 33708

Created by a hurricane on September 27, 1848 a pirate, John Levique, made the first passage through the newly created pass. Hence the name, Johns Pass. Located on the waterfront at Johns Pass, this quaint turn-of-the-century fishing village is Pinellas County’s #1 tourist attraction. Over one hundred merchants inhabit the Village with unique retail shopping, a variety of restaurants, the local fishing fleet, dolphin watching and shelling tours, boat rentals, parasailing and jet skiing.

https://goo.gl/maps/HaVupDMxqRU7NaeA8

Pier 60 Clearwater

1 Causeway Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767

Centrally located on Clearwater Beach, Pier 60 is among the most popular destinations along the busy white sand beach. The 1,080-foot pier extends west from Highway 60 into the Gulf of Mexico.

Pier 60 is known not only for its spectacular views but also its convenient amenities including playgrounds, telescopes, two massive inflatable slides, public restrooms, a cafe, and a fishing bait and tackle store. 

https://goo.gl/maps/FX665Qny3smCu4Lm8

Hindu Temple of Florida

5509 Lynn Rd, Tampa, FL 33624

Situated among North Tampa homes and businesses, the Hindu Temple of Florida stands out as an architectural achievement.

The temple, built in 1996, stands about 60 feet tall and has traditional Hindu features, including a pyramid structure, an ornate entrance tower and grand exterior staircase.

“Whether you are a believer in Hinduism or not, everyone is welcome here,” said Vijay Wadehra, temple manager. “A lot of people come because it is very peaceful.”

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Thinh An Kitchen & Tofu

8104 W Waters Ave, Tampa, FL 33615

https://www.thinhankitchentofu.com/

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Henry B. Plant Museum

401 W Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL 33606

One of the more incongruous sights you’re likely ever to see are the Moorish onion domes of the Henry B. Plant Musseum in Tampa’s skyline. Now a part of the University of Tampa campus, the building already was exceptional when it opened as a 511-room hotel in 1891. At that time, it was the city’s only building with electric lights, telephones and an elevator.

https://goo.gl/maps/pa4Ru6yxQGJbsywY9

Tampa Postcard Mural

1102 N Florida Ave, Tampa, FL 33602

Visit the iconic Tampa Postcard Mural, located off of Florida Avenue in Tampa, for the perfect travel post. Commissioned in 2003 by the city of Tampa, the mural was created to depict classic landmarks that can be found around Tampa. Each letter representing a different location: T is the Water Tower in Sulphur Springs, A is Gasparilla ship & flotilla, M is the University of Tampa formerly Tampa Bay Hotel, P is a Streetcar in Ybor City, and A is Children fishing.

Inspired by black and white photos and retro postcards of Tampa’s past, this mural was created on the side of a building large enough to be visible to anyone driving along Florida Avenue.

https://goo.gl/maps/oLJGhZMbSYgjqsWXA

Ybor City Historic District

The Tampa Bay area is rich in history dating back more than 450 years and Ybor City is at its center. At the turn of the 20th century, nowhere in the United States was as famous for its cigars as Tampa’s Ybor City, which was once known as the “Cigar Capital of the World.” The area once boasted 200 factories with 12,000 cigar-makers.

The Ybor City Historic District is a National Historic Landmark located northeast of Tampa’s downtown. The district contains more than 950 historic buildings and structures built during its peak industrial years. Ybor City’s vibrant character, preserved best in the 7th Avenue Commercial Strip, is defined by the community’s blend of cultures from European, Asian, and Cuban immigrants who settled there to support the region’s once-booming cigar industry brought to Tampa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Most of the historic buildings and structures were constructed between 1886 and World War I. These include the businesses, churches, social clubs, factories, and public buildings used by Ybor City’s residents at the height of Tampa’s hand-rolled cigar industry.

The park at the corner of 8th Avenue and 13th Street is owned by the people of Cuba. For nearly six decades, it was the only piece of Cuban-owned land in the United States until the Cuban Embassy in Washington, D.C., in 2015. The park is fenced and locked at night. Visitors during the day will find a statue of Martí along with marked plots of earth from different parts of the island where landscaping grows.

The wild chicken population that currently resides in Ybor City are direct descendants of the chickens that lived in the backyards of the neighborhoods earliest resident’s over 100 years ago. Ybor City’s chickens crossing the streets have become a welcome sight for those who live, work and visit the area.

Dinner Suggestion

Columbia Restaurant 

2117 E 7th Ave, Tampa, FL 33605

The restaurant is huge. It occupies an entire city block and has seating for up to 1,700 people in 15 separate dining rooms.

https://www.columbiarestaurant.com/Menus/new-dinner.pdf

There are typically about 25 different entrees including beef, fish, shrimp and chicken prepared in a variety of ways.

The Columbia has its own Columbia Restaurant Dance Troupe at this location.

Friday and Saturday dinner reservation times for the 7 p.m. show are 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.

For the 9:30 p.m. show on Friday and Saturday, reservation times are at 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.

There is an $8 cover charge per person for the show for guests over the age of 12.

Please call 813.248.4961 for flamenco show reservations.

Live music featuring the Dick Rivers Band on Friday and Saturday from 6 to 10 p.m.

After Dinner

Saint Petersburg Pier

800 2nd Ave NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Open 24 hours

The St. Pete Pier District features “Bending Arc,” an aerial sculpture by renowned artist Janet Echelman, who hails from Tampa.